Department of Creative Industries and Entrepreneurship
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Item Comparative Study of the Long-Term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Nutritional Practices Among International Elite and Sub-Elite Athletes: A Sample of 1420 Participants from 14 Countries(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023-12) Taheri, Morteza; Saad, Helmi Ben; Washif, Jad Adrian; Reynoso-Sánchez, Luis Felipe; Mirmoezzi, Masoud; Youzbashi, Leila; Trabelsi, Khaled; Moshtagh, Mozhgan; Muñoz-Helú, Hussein; Mataruna-Dos-Santos, Leonardo Jose; Seghatoleslami, Ali; Torabi, FarnazBackground Although several studies have shown that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown has had negative impacts on mental health and eating behaviors among the general population and athletes, few studies have examined the long-term effects on elite and sub-elite athletes. The present study aimed to investigate the long-term impact of COVID-19 lockdown on mental health and eating behaviors in elite versus sub-elite athletes two years into the pandemic. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted between March and April 2022, involving athletes from 14 countries, using a convenient non-probabilistic and snowball sampling method. A total of 1420 athletes (24.5 ± 7.9 years old, 569 elites, 35% women, and 851 sub-elites, 45% women) completed an online survey-based questionnaire. The questionnaire included a sociodemographic survey, information about the COVID-19 pandemic, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale—21 Items (DASS-21) for mental health assessment, and the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants (REAP-S) for assessing eating behavior. Results The results showed that compared to sub-elite athletes, elite athletes had lower scores on the DASS-21 (p = .001) and its subscales of depression (p = .003), anxiety (p = .007), and stress (p < .001), as well as a lower REAP-S score indicating lower diet quality (p = .013). Conclusion In conclusion, two years into the pandemic, elite athletes were likelier to have better mental health profiles than sub-elite athletes but surprisingly had lower diet quality.Item Leadership Styles Adopted by Scottish Micro-businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Gilani, Sayed; Gernal, Liza; Tantry, Ansarullah; Yasin, Naveed; Sergio, RommelThe current exploratory study investigated leadership styles adopted by Scottish micro-businesses during COVID-19. A qualitative research approach was employed on 20 owners/managers in Scotland, using semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed thematic variations across a range of leadership styles as the autocratic style was identified by businesses as the most common approach during the pandemic due to the influence of the external environment on rapid decision-making. In essence, the findings highlight the importance of recognizing the role of leadership approaches under uncertain and volatile market conditions. Based on the qualitative findings of the study, a novel framework presented as the “COVID-19 Leadership Framework” was proposed that addresses the contextualization of the findings to a specific and contemporary context. The results of the study presented theoretical and practical implications for micro-business, policymakers, and Small to Medium Enterprise support services. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.Item There’s Always a Plan: Eduplan Case Study(Case Centre UK, 2022) Gilani, Sayed; Yasin, Naveed; Gopidas, GayatriEntrepreneurship has been widely understood as something that involves setting up a business as well as taking financial risks in the hope of generating profit. However, over time the widespread understanding of entrepreneurship has been eventually changed to involve innovation. Entrepreneurship and innovation have gone hand in hand in the fitness industry for majority of the 20th century followed by the full period in the 21st Century. Based on the rapid growth of education sector, the demand for educational resources have drastically changed the lives of people around the world due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic that has transformed the education market. The case of the Eduplan provides students with insights to nascent entrepreneurship in a dynamic and rapidly growing industry to understand and recognize the strategic response to market demand and conditions. The case enables the learner to engage with understanding the enterprising characteristics of an entrepreneur, understand the entrepreneurial motives, and evaluate the impact of environmental factors on a start-up enterprise. Furthermore, the learner can recommend options for growth for the new start-up businesses whilst also recognizing the implications of the proposed suggestions.Item Assessing the current state of university-based business incubators in Canada(SAGE Publications Ltd, 2023-06) Yasin, Naveed; Majid Gilani, Sayed AbdulThis paper explores the current state of university-based business incubators (UBIs) in Canada by utilizing both secondary and primary data obtained through desk-based secondary research and semi-structured interviews with UBI managers, academics, and support staff. These data informed the development of nine cases of UBIs in Canada. The data were collected from VoIP (Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol) based semi-structured interviews with 32 participants during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2021–February 2022), from which 9 cases were developed during the pandemic. The key themes derived from the findings were the development of communication skills, curriculum development, extra-curricular activities, industry engagement, innovation, research skills and strategic thinking. The originality of this study lies in its identification of the current state of UBI activities as well as its assessment of the broad range of activities and provisions among Canadian UBIs. The empirical development of showcasing these initiatives is also novel for the efficacy of UBIs concerning institutional and managerial decision-making and operational planning. There are implications for academics, senior management in higher education, entrepreneurs, policymakers and other stakeholders in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. © The Author(s) 2022.Item The Dubai Dream: A Case Study of Nabi Café in the Emirate of Dubai(Case Centre UK, 2022) Kenawy, Fatma; Gilani, Sayed; Yasin, Naveed; Sergio, Rommel Sergio; Askri, SoumayaNowadays, female entrepreneurs are recognized as a fast-growing category of entrepreneurship, aggravated many researchers/academics' attention. Women can create an outstanding contribution to entrepreneurial activity, leading to economic development through making new job opportunities available, GDP rise, as well as positively impacting poverty. Nonetheless, women's participation in the business industry is remarkably lower than men's as it's reported that in UAE, males are more probably to be established entrepreneurs at 7% compared to female established entrepreneurs at 0.9%. Those findings suggest that males generally would be at a higher rate of entrepreneurship and more likely to be business owners beyond the start-up levels. In this case study, we will be discussing the complications that female entrepreneurs face instantly and provide the methods of dealing with these complications by reviewing the in-depth interview in cooperation with Nabaa Kamal owner of Nabi Café, walking us through its success journey. Although the case study would not cover all aspects of the problematic issues, it still provides a decent account of the perspectives and steps that can positively influence young females in UAE towards entrepreneurship.Item ‘Imitate or Incubate?’ Evaluating the Current State of University-Based Business Incubators in the United Arab Emirates(Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd, 2022) Yasin, Naveed; Gilani, Sayed Abdul MajidAlthough there has been extensive research on business incubators (BIs) in the private sector, relatively little is known about university-based business incubators (UBIs) in the context of emerging markets such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study explores the current state of UBIs in the UAE by analysing secondary and primary data obtained through desk-based research and qualitative semi-structured interviews with UBI managers, academics and support staff. Informed by this study comprising nine cases of UBIs in the UAE, the data were collected through Voice over Internet Protocol and telephone during March 2021–February 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the analysis of data using Template Analysis, the findings illustrate that UAE universities’ BIs are relatively young and characterized by eight key themes, which were identified as (a) attracting new students, (b) improving communication skills, (c) curriculum development, (d) extra-curricular development, (e) industry engagement, (f) innovation/spinoffs, (g) research skills and (h) strategic thinking. As per the UAE Vision 2031, UBIs will play a crucial role in innovation and entrepreneurship, and therefore there are implications for academics, entrepreneurs and policymakers. © 2022 Fortune Institute of International Business.Item Cold grass or hot sands? A comparative study of immigrant Punjabi–Pakistani entrepreneurs in London and Dubai(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2022) Yasin, NaveedThe purpose of this paper is to cross-nationally compare one immigrant community's business start-up experiences in ethnic enclaves of London (UK) and Dubai (UAE). The primary data were collected through 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews (10 from each country) identified through personal contact networks and snowball sampling approaches in each country. The data were collected from November 2020 to March 2021 and analyzed using the template analysis approach. The findings reveal positive and ambitious business start-up motivations and experiences among a psychologically “transient” migrant community in the UAE, despite starting their business under stricter business start-up regulations in comparison with the UK sample where adverse motivations for business start-up were reported with negative business start-up experiences among a “naturalized” migrant community with comparatively liberal business start-up regulations. This study contributes to the death of empirical cross-national studies in immigrant entrepreneurship and provides impetus to the mixed embeddedness model while also reviving the seminal works of Phizacklea and Ram as a continuation of a stagnant discourse on cross-national ethnic entrepreneurship. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Item “Dump the paper quiz”—The PERI model for exploring gamification in student learning in the United Arab Emirates(SAGE Publications Ltd, 2022-10) Yasin, Naveed; Gilani, Sayed Abdul Majid; Nair, GayatriThis paper explores the effects of gamification (a game-based student response system) on student learning in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The data, collected through a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 32 learners, were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis (i.e., template analysis). Based on an in-depth analysis of the data using NVIVO 10, the authors propose and apply the “PERI” model to develop multi-focal insights into gamification and its influences on student learning. The model proposed is original and comprehensive, encompassing (1) Preferabilities (P), (2) Experiences (E), (3) Recommendations (R), and (4) Impressions (I). Although most of the findings were positive with regard to application and receptivity across all dimensions of the PERI model for the gamification tool—a game-based student response system (GSRS) used for delivering education—they also reveal areas in need of development for the successful embedding of gamifying technology–enhanced learning provisions and their efficacy in teaching and learning pedagogy. The conclusions of this study outline implications for educators, students, education leaders, and gamification product developers. © The Author(s) 2021.Item Exploring the challenges for entrepreneurship business incubator hubs in the United Arab Emirates(Inderscience Publishers, 2021) Yasin, Naveed; Khansari, Zeinab; Tirmizi, KaiserThere is a dearth of studies that explore the challenges and experiences among business incubators (BIs), as providers, for their effective performance and operations. An exploratory research design model has been adopted by developing multiple case studies to explore the challenges for BI providers in Dubai (UAE). This study adopts qualitative methods of inquiry through 25 semi-structured interviews with executive members of seven UAE-based BIs. The data were analysed using NVIVO to perform a qualitative thematic analysis (template analysis approach). The findings resulted in the identification of five key thematic areas of challenges, which comprised: 1) financial challenges; 2) market barriers; 3) entrepreneurial infrastructure challenges; 4) socio-cultural barriers; 5) restrictive legislation. The motive-related overlaps between financial challenges and sociocultural barriers were also identified. The results of this research provide initial empirical insights for academics and recommendations for policymakers. © 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.. All rights reserved.Item Assessing the enterprising tendencies of Arab female undergraduate engineering students in the Sultanate of Oman(SAGE Publications Ltd, 2020-03) Yasin, Naveed; Khansari, Zeinab; Sharif, TaimurThis study assesses the enterprising characteristics of first-year undergraduate Omani female chemical engineering students in Muscat, Oman. Pre and post surveys were conducted with 27 respondents from an entrepreneurship boot camp module mandated by the Oman Ministry of Higher Education. The variables, measured on a 10-point Likert scale, included need for achievement, need for autonomy, creativity, risk-taking, and locus of control. Statistical analysis was performed on the integrated data to measure the impact of student learning using a t-test approach and comparing mean averages. This was followed by qualitative semi-structured interviews that were examined using thematic analysis. The comparison of students’ enterprise tendencies before and after the module indicates minor to moderate improvements in their entrepreneurial abilities and their understanding of entrepreneurial behavior. The most noticeable impact was on students’ risk-taking abilities, followed by their creativity, need for achievement, need for control, and, lastly, their need for autonomy. The findings illustrate that students perceived entrepreneurship positively but were concerned about the scheduling of the module and its integration into their core program of study. Students may have benefited further from a module of extended duration as opposed to the block delivery “boot camp” mode of learning. Due to the limited number of participants and the focus on female students only, the results of the study cannot be generalized. However, the article presents an initial exploration of and offers insights into enterprising characteristics among an empirically underexplored demographic and nonbusiness group. © The Author(s) 2020.